Willinator said:

It sounds too cold for me!!

Hey, try go swimming and you'll find out how cold it is. At least the swimming pool is heated to 80 degree. But I have to go swimming to keep me from not gaining weight.

Our roller coaster weather has me comfortably outside this week. I trimmed back the rosemary and oh lookee what I discovered...two!!! I tucked the branches back into the bush, snug and safe.


They are dissimilar enough that I wonder if they are from two different species. Or maybe each mom has a distinct signature? Like the designs barristas put in the foam on lattes...

Same species. Minor differences are to be expected.
With such variables as humidity, temperature, rainfall and wind, they can't be shaped exactly the same. Not to mention "the differences in ladies rumps.

nmoasis said:Our roller coaster weather has me comfortably outside this week. I trimmed back the rosemary and oh lookee what I discovered...two!!! I tucked the branches back into the bush, snug and safe.


They are dissimilar enough that I wonder if they are from two different species. Or maybe each mom has a distinct signature? Like the designs barristas put in the foam on lattes...

Are those Praying Mantis eggs? I have seen so many of them and never knew what they were. We also get a lot of praying mantises around here so it would make sense.

OfficialWolf! They are oothecas—egg cases. Up to a hundred teeny tiny mantises will emerge in the spring, ravenously hungry. If they don't find immediate food (little insects like aphids or smaller) they'll eat each other. Ah, such brutality in the natural world. So don't disturb them, or if you find one like I did on a pruned branch, just tuck in the garden somewhere.

BigBill said:Same species. Minor differences are to be expected.
With such variables as humidity, temperature, rainfall and wind, they can't be shaped exactly the same. Not to mention "the differences in ladies rumps.

Speaking from long experience Bill? Sounds like you're feeling better. Welcome back!

Slow and steady!

Bill, I can tell you're getting up to snuff when I read your post! Zoe, so great! I didn't find the egg case last year that hatched out this spring, it was attached to the underside of a rock. Don't think I'm going to overturn every rock out there looking. I have been very careful cleaning up the garden this fall, pretty sure I have some ( egg cases ) out there somewhere.

I recently ran across this one in a small persimmon tree.



Here's a good sized gal scaling up the side of the house not too long ago.

Interesting color Christine!

Found a mantis that drowned in a bucket of rain water. it's legs were on the edge so I don't know why it couldn't pull itself out. Maybe yesterday's high winds and sudden cool down conspired against it.

I haven't seen any live mantis for awhile now.

@wildflowers, that one looks like hammered iron. Cool. Made me think of the woman who recently scaled El Capitan in Yosemite. Isn't it fun how finding an ootheca brings such optimism? (well, for me, anyway).

Lynda, I haven't seen any mantises since late summer after finding two dead. I was afraid something had gotten them, but hoped it was a natural death after they'd eggs. But up until yesterday I'd found only one case and was getting discouraged. I feel better now!

Will, so sorry for your loss. I know the feeling.

The last time I saw one was before the local fire, she was climbing up the neighbor's roof. I wonder what for. Maybe she knew the wind is coming, she had to go hiding.

Spotted two two more up in the patio rafters. That's five I've found so far, so if all goes well, a healthy PM population in the spring!


Here's a memory from summer—a juvenile hitched a ride on my arm and cruised around with me for awhile.

I saw this today, it was kind of sad, I haven't been to this area, so I must not have stepped on it by accident.

Awww.

SoCal, the females usually die soon after they lay their eggs. I don't know what the reproduction cycle is in your climate, but it could be that time! In the colder climes, most are gone by now. So it might not be a mishap!

SoCal, don't feel bad! I found a dead female back in September. It appeared she died from natural causes. Kind of neat in a gruesome way, she was perfectly preserved, almost mummified.

Oh no, I only saw one egg so far, this one looks pregnant still.

https://mymodernmet.com/prayin...

World's oldest mantis.

Will, that is!!! Thanks so much for the link. I'm fascinated! The mantis looks alive!